In an announcement that got lost in the shuffle of Sunday’s news that Jets cornerback Dimitri Patterson no-showed for Friday’s game against the Giants, Jets coach Rex Ryan said quarterback Michael Vick will indeed start Thursday at Philadelphia.

“Vick will start at quarterback, but don’t expect him to play long,” Ryan said Sunday.

It is the Jets’ fourth and final preseason game. Starters almost never play in the preseason finale. Vick is going to be the Jets’ backup quarterback, behind Geno Smith, at least for Week 1. So the Jets obviously don’t want him to get hurt in a meaningless game.

But this isn’t just any preseason finale. The Jets signed Vick in free agency after last season. His previous employer was the Eagles. Vick spent five seasons with them and revived his NFL career, after going to prison for running a dog-fighting ring – which sidelined him for two seasons.

Vick, 34, played in 54 games with the Eagles and started 42, before they opted for Nick Foles as their starting quarterback last season.

The Jets and Eagles essentially swapped backup quarterbacks in the offseason. The Jets cut Mark Sanchez, their former starter, who missed all of last year with a shoulder injury. The Eagles signed him to be Foles’s understudy.